Texas Judge Hears Arguments in ACA Case

A Texas judge heard arguments Wednesday in a case challenging the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Texas and 19 other states filed a federal lawsuit, Texas v. Azar, earlier this year arguing that because Congress eliminated the individual mandate penalty, the mandate is no longer a tax and is therefore unconstitutional. The states go on to argue that the individual mandate is a core provision that is not severable from the rest of the ACA, therefore the remainder of the ACA must also fall. The Trump Administration agreed that key parts of the ACA should be invalidated. The judge did not say when he would issue a ruling.